“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself” Edmund Lee
Received a surprise call from a friend & COO colleague a few days ago, asking for guidance on who to hire given their need for a senior position in their organization. Without knowing the candidates/applicants but familiar with their organizational needs & current situation, my advice was quite simple.
“If you want somebody who will follow all your instructions efficiently & directives to the letter, without question, hire a doer. That will though pre occupy most of your valuable executive time, checking on how your instructions & directives were implemented. You will have to constantly think of the next directive day in day out. Now, if you want to free up your time from doing routine things and would like to focus on things that would be key to the success of your core business, you may want to consider somebody who will think and strategize for you, hire a thinker.”
I felt a moment of silence from the other end of the call then my friend retorted. “You know you are right. I need somebody who knows how to plant the seeds of continuity and growth….somebody who is strategic.”
For simple guidance let me expound on the terminologies I mentioned from an HR perspective & as a hiring manager. I did some back reading and recalled my encounters with doers & thinkers.
A “doer” in the workplace is your action-oriented, task-focused, and dedicated employee who completes given responsibilities efficiently and effectively.
The doer always takes the initiative, at times proactive, and gets things done with minimal hesitation or procrastination. They thrive on smooth execution just like a like a well-oiled machine. In a manufacturing set up, line workers & leaders should be your ideal doers.
Robust production lines need this type of workers because they demonstrate qualities such as efficiency & almost always find the quickest way in doing this because the more you churn out, the better it is for the bottom line. During my time in a leading Japanese manufacturing company, I had the pleasure of working with the “Power Puff Girls” of that company. If you want anything done efficiently, let Tita Toning, Tita Mimi (+) & Tita Nely take charge.
These highly respected “Titas” literally got things done in a jiffy. It is almost certain that they will prioritize any immediate tasks given, responsibilities bestowed and tackle them asap. It was also an advantage that they were the most senior in terms of tenure & age because it was also why workers followed their lead. Following instructions was a sign of respect for these “Titas”.
As efficient as they were, they unfortunately remained to be group leaders for more than twenty (20) years until they retired a few years ago. They were the epitome of great doers but somehow perhaps by choice, never wanted to go up to the next level perhaps because a great deal of strategizing is required day in day out.
I can say for HR, based on my actual experience, classic example of our doers were the payroll team. So many times, our payroll team, whenever there were hurdles to overcome, instead of getting stuck, be it with the payroll system going down, departments not complying with deadlines or supporting documents incomplete, they always looked for simple solutions to resolve problems and then go for it. They seem to have the uncanny way of adapting to any situation that unexpected challenges will not make them lose momentum because issues have become repetitive & similar each payroll period.
This was evident during covid, during my stint in an American manufacturing company, in between checkpoints & safety protocols, my HR team, even if they had to stay late, skip meals and defer personal commitments, made sure that payroll is completed, reviewed, checked & approved with corresponding funds deposited for the employees will be able to draw to draw their salaries on time. Prioritizing completing the payroll efficiently & making things work was the key.
Doers are the type of direct reports that superiors count on because they will surely follow through and deliver on commitments. If I was building Sales Team, these are the traits that one should look for. They are the type of employees that will execute, make progress, meet deadlines and achieve targets. Am pretty sure that a doer on a salesperson role, makes constant follow up with clients & pursues leads to close deals to meet their sales targets or quota each month.
A doer can be one who is always quick to respond to requests, efficiently managing schedules, emails, and documentation without procrastination. Sounds like the ideal office secretary of the olden times. Or that person that makes sure that even in my absence, the office runs smoothly so that tasks are executed promptly based on routine & instructions who is these days the executive assistant. The admin assistant is another doer because being able to book, reserve and confirm hotel accommodations, dinner reservations, transport or a flight through quick disposition and the right network.
The disadvantage though is doers would always refer to past experience rather than planning & being creative. They almost always thrive on environments where results and progress matter most, therefore stability & predictability is preferred. Routine, when the situation is not ideal and it is distracted, throws them off and may often look for guidance. Because of this, supervisors or managers of doers always need to constantly instruct, give guidance, make corrections or coach as long as & as much as it is needed. That’s tiring.
Meantime, a thinker is someone who excels at analyzing, strategizing, and approaching problems with a methodical mindset. They focus on understanding the “why” and “how”, behind tasks, often contributing valuable insights that lead to smarter decisions from multiple perspectives and long-term implications or success.
For me, this is the reason why every at the start of the week, a group meeting is very important because not only does because it give the supervisor/manager the visibility of what lies ahead for the week but also allows everybody to share knowledge on certain situations or potential issues that could happen. Receiving advice or suggestions is very important in making good decisions. Regular engagements like these develop the habit of critical thinking.
But does this mean that a thinker is almost certainly of higher position? Not necessarily because even a stand-alone Process Engineer or a plain quality inspector, if they are good, are surely thinkers because they need critical thinking to be able to analyze problems, recommend solutions and take appropriate counter measures.
A thinker often considers the deeper context of things. Oftentimes, are not afraid to ask questions, the tough & uncomfortable ones, challenge the status quo & put into test the validity of ideas put forward then come up with their own.
Why is that so? This is because a thinker prioritizes analysis, strategy, and planning before implementing. Thinkers tend to pause, reflect, and deliberate before making decisions. It is in complex problems that they thrive in creating innovations, strategies and ideas. They bring depth & foresight to the situation where solutions are carefully considered.
Possessing an often mentioned or sought after trait not only among top echelon jobs but also for the up & coming, is analytical skills. An analytical thinker is someone who breaks down complex problems, recognizes patterns, and evaluates different perspectives to find the best strategy to solve a problem. While they focus on strategy, they also ensure their ideas are precise and well-thought-out with details thoroughly vetted & checked.
Mr Phykes, a seasoned mechanical & safety engineer friend, agreed when I mentioned RCA or Root Cause Analysis as a great tool to solve problems proactively. Using RCA makes one think, deeply that is. It often result to ideas that could be cumbersome to doers but fitting for thinkers.
In HR, an OD person would be the perfect fit because they always look at things beyond the present. They strategize continuity, growth & development of employees. Keeping employees engaged and feel valued redounds to retention and productivity.
In the end, in a workplace, a doer & a thinker should complement each other. One devises the plan before it is executed by the other. The ability to slow down, reflect, and make sense of complexity is crucial even if the doer is doing things according to set timeline, the thinker looks at sound strategies and sustainable solutions. Do you see yourself more as a thinker, a doer, or maybe a blend of both?
In a balanced workplace, pairing “thinkers” with “doers” can create a synergy like no other. In essence, they complement each other beautifully. A thinker lays the groundwork with careful planning, strategy & consideration, while a doer brings it takes action. This often what leads to successful outcomes. This balance will make a well-rounded and highly effective workforce. For HR, aside from a manager, the HR Business Partner (HRBP) is also a combination of a doer (40%) & a thinker (60%)
But in reality though, you cannot always be lucky to be blessed with such balance. Though highly educated & trained or well experienced, an employee can remain a plain doer or an overbearing thinker.
I’ve seen high potential employees who have transitioned well from doers into thinkers. They have learned how to anticipate challenges and opportunities that help set up the organization they belong for success. They are all well on their way to the top. I just hope they won’t fall prey to the notion that everything should be fiercely thought of, vetted carefully & validated repeatedly by them alone before taking action. A former colleague who wanted to project this image of a “deep thinker” became too cautious & calculated that the monicker “analysis by paralysis” became the brand remembered and legacy left behind.
I’ve also witnessed pure doers go up the ladder simply because they’ve been able to please superiors with efficient execution of tasks assigned to them in a heartbeat. Often times, these employees eventually tend to fail when they are transition to tasks like handling a team or doing strategic things because they are just used to always to seek guidance & directives to execute. Such employees are in supervisory/managerial roles could become a burden to carry in the long run because of the lack of a thinker’s demeanor will surely manifest itself during crunch time. Often times mislabeled as “team players”, some superiors still prefer direct reports that would simply instructions, “no if & no but”.
Going back to the situation of my caller, am obliged to reiterate that in this day & age, where routinary work can simply be outsourced &/or be done efficiently by generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), a doer that needs constant guidance & mentoring is the least that one needs.
Given the needs of the organization, there is a need for somebody who always looks at the strategic implications of actions. Somebody who can help resolve undetected or unaddressed problems that might crop up. The perfect fit would be would be a thinker who knows how to utilizes fully the doers, then plans to develop & train them to become thinkers as well.
GOOD MORNING HARDWORKING PEOPLE!For comments & suggestions, you may email author [email protected] & follow in Facebook Herrie Raymond Rivera.